Flame resistant fabrics are useful in many applications, including the production of garments worn by personnel in a variety of industries or occupations, such as the military, electrical (for arc protection), petroleum chemical manufacturing, and emergency response fields. Cellulosic or cellulosic-blend fabrics have typically been preferred for these garments, due to the availability of chemical treatments designed to render these fabrics flame resistant and the relative comfort of such fabrics to the wearer.
Notwithstanding the popularity of cellulosic or cellulosic-blend flame resistant fabrics, existing fabrics do suffer from limitations. The flammability performance of many cellulosic flame resistant fabrics is not sufficient to meet the demanding requirements of certain industries. In order to meet these requirements, inherent flame resistant fibers (e.g., meta-aramid fibers, such as NOMEX® fiber from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company) are often employed, which increases the cost of the fabrics. Accordingly, a need remains to provide alternative flame retardant compounds that can be used to improve the flame resistance of fabrics. A need also remains for flame resistant fabrics that have been treated with such flame retardant compounds and are capable of meeting applicable flame resistance standards.